This invention relates to golf balls, and, more particularly, to a golf ball which has a uniform land configuration.
A golf ball typically includes an outer spherical surface and depressions or dimples in the outer surface. The portions of the outer surface between the dimples are called lands. The dimples create air turbulence as the ball moves through the air. Turbulence and aerodynamic drag are related by a complicated relationship, and the dimples are intended to create the appropriate amount of turbulence which will optimally reduce the aerodynamic drag.
The aerodynamic design of golf balls has historically concentrated on the shape, size, and arrangement of the dimples. In general, little or no attention was paid to the size and shape of the spaces or lands between the dimples. The natural tendency is to view the golf ball as a 1.68 inch diameter sphere with depressions on the surface.
However, the air flow over the surface does not have such a perceptual bias. The air flow "sees" only a textured surface and has no special regard for whether the texture is provided by a large sphere with depressions in the surface or a smaller sphere with projections on the surface. In fact, the contours of the raised areas between the dimples, i.e., the lands, may have a greater effect on air flow than the shape of the dimples.
If there is an optimal land width, it is not being exploited on conventional balls with dimples which have a circular periphery. Circular dimples do not fit together, and the spaces between circular dimples are not constant. Also, the cross section of the lands between circular dimples is not constant but changes continuously around the periphery of the dimple.